The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-11-30
PAREsIs ALlvINo DEATH.

large Drlck Dullulng.
The man kept his hands in constant
motion, now pressed to his brow. now
extended above his head. And all the
while he kept up low conversation
with imaginary people, and the sound
of his voice resembled the barking of u
seal.
The man wa sBartley Campbell, and
the huge building was the state asylum
for insane at Middleton, N. Y,
says fhe New York Star.
there any hope of his recovery"
asked OF DR.. Talcott.
"None," was the reply. "When a
man becomes a victim of paresis he
leaves all hope behind him."
Remembering that John McCul-
Tough, the tragedian, and others equal
ly prominent had suffered from the
same disease which had siezed on Bart
ley Campbell. an explanation of pare
sis was asked of the GENIAL and kind
hearted superintendent.
Come into my office and will tell
you something of paresis,' said DR..
Talcott
A few minutes later the reporter was
seated in the cozy Office of the doctor,
ready to hear about this terrible dis
ease.
''Paresis," said DR.. Talcott. sis a
marked type of those grave forms of
mental disturbance so common in our
day, and which are the direct out
growth of an unwise expenditure of
nerve forces through the various chan
nels of overwork and dissipation"
What are the causes of the dseaseP"
stimulation of the BRAIN and
nervous system by various means,
chiefly hard drinking, excessive indul-
gence, and over-applicaton to business
of an absorbing and exciting nature.
There are few cases where rum, wom-
\Gp, or overwork, one ore all combined,
not figure largely as exciting
Tan not medical treatment conquer
paresisP"
"'Never, according TO history, does
paresis yield up its hold. 1t is deep
seated, far-reaching, intractable
scourge, which fastens its malignant
fangs upon the brains of its victims and.
unlike any other serious disease, it
never yields.
'ls it not generally spoken of as
'softening of the brainP"
THAT is the vulgar term applied TO
paresis. 1t is known under various
names. the most common of which are
General paress, general progressive
paralysis, general paralysis of the in
sane. mania de grandeur and dementia
paralyticus. The latter term might be
more strictly applied to the last stage
of the disease, while the others are APP
propriate through all its stages. "
what are the stages of paresisp"
First, the irritable stage; second,
the welldefined or stage of hective delu-
sions of grandeur; third, the stage of
subsistence, or that of subacute or chro.
mic mani, and fourth, the stage of
dementia, failure, and death. "
docs this disease attack both men
nd women"
"Males largely predominant. The
Nteen cases treated here were all
ales. In England the male parctics
'predominate over females as five to
one. In this country there are probably
ten male to one famal paretc"
care robust people the most likely
TO be attackedp"
General paresls is generally found
in the robust and over dissipated man
of early prime or middle age. With
strong bodies and active. even tn ough
uncultivated, brains. these men seize
with consuming avidity upon the hard
work of the sinful pleasures of the
world. That they break down in the
middle prime of life. is due simply and
solely to the consumption of wasting of
both principal and interest of their
nerve capital.
DR.. Talcott then went on to say that
general paresis was first intelligently
described by a French physician. Dr.
Calmell. who, in 1926, investigated the
subject 1t is. then, disease known
to the medical profession for only half
century. Doubtless il existed long
previous to its recognition. but since
that time it has steadily increased in
frequency, particularly in this country.
and is nervous plague peculiar to the
rush of those modern high-presure
times. 1t is particularly prevalent in
seaport towns
The disease was traced through all its
kages by DIR. Talcott thus:
Ahe first stage is marked by unusual
4IrrNab lily. This occurs to dec ded
degree. even though the person affected
had been good-natured or jovial previ-
ously. He seems pre-occuped in his
thoughts, even to abstraction, and then
again he is hurried, nervous, and fidge-
ty. While in the former state, If spok-